Ashland police arrest topless woman on brandishing charge - News - DailyTidings.com - Ashland, OR

Ashland Daily Tidings (Ashland, OR — Wayback)

2015-09-13

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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation  |  Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED   » NEWS NOW   Oregon Arts Summit coming to Ashland       ...       Herb Rothschild: A year of conversation       ...       Quake warning system tested for Northwest       ...       Oregon Arts Summit coming to Ashland       ...       Herb Rothschild: A year of conversation       ...       Quake warning system tested for Northwest       ...           CRIME Ashland police arrest topless woman on brandishing charge Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Sep. 10, 2015 at 3:38 PM Updated Sep 12, 2015 at 2:36 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Sep. 10, 2015 at 3:38 PM Updated Sep 12, 2015 at 2:36 PM »  Social News Saturday, Sept. 12: This story has been updated with more information about the weapon. Original story: A topless, 19-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday for lying in an Ashland city street — Tolman Creek Road, in front of Goodwill — while brandishing a sword.  The woman, Grace Elizabeth Kelly, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of menacing, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, but not nudity, said Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara. He said the sword was made of metal and could have hurt someone. According to the police log for Wednesday, she was arrested a second time about 20 minutes later on another charge of disorderly conduct at the Bank of America in the 2300 block of Ashland Street. A video of the arrest titled “19 year old topless woman arrested and taken by Ashland Police," taken by Ashlander Cliff Beneventi, was posted on YouTube (youtu.be/Dx59-o0bdM8).   The video shows half a dozen police officers on scene as one or two of the officers remove Kelly from a car, put a T-shirt on her and put her in a police SUV. She is seen protesting and shouting, singing, pulling away from police, asking them to stop and asking what she has done wrong. She sang “we go topless in Ashland and I’m pretty sure it’s legal.” The woman has “been on our radar for a couple of weeks” in a topless state and was not arrested for being topless, said O’Meara. Court records give an Ashland address for Kelly. Ashland ordinance 3001, passed in January 2010, makes it a Class C violation for anyone age 8 or older to intentionally expose his or her genitalia while in an exterior public place. O’Meara said this does not apply to buttocks or female breasts, but only actual genitalia — and, in any case, had nothing to do with this arrest. This law was passed after protests against an earlier city law that allowed nudity everywhere but in downtown and parks — and which resulted in a man circling public schools in the nude. Kelly’s menacing and disorderly conduct charges came about because, according to witnesses, she allegedly menaced a Goodwill employee with the sword. At the time of the arrest, Kelly was a passenger in a vehicle driven by a man, who complied with the police request to exit the car and be frisked. O’Meara said police have no problem with citizens shooting videos of police arrests and interactions with the public. Police were videoed by a bystander a second time Wednesday, he noted, when they responded to a complaint that a man was assaulting a woman near Fire Station No. 2. Kelly was lodged in Jackson County Jail. She was no longer in jail Thursday, according to jail records. A court appearance was set for Sept. 25. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Sep. 10, 2015 at 3:38 PM Updated Sep 12, 2015 at 2:36 PM » Comment or view comments   Reader Reaction »  STAY INFORMED   Email NewsLetter   Sign Up Today   Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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